Insole

ABSTRACT

An insole includes a top surface, a bottom surface opposite to the upper surface, a plurality of protrusions protruding from the top surface, a plurality of recesses indenting inwardly from the bottom surface, and a plurality of vent holes . Each of the recesses has an inner end, and an outer end that is located at the bottom surface and that is larger than the inner end. Each of the vent holes extends from the top surface to communicate with the inner end of a corresponding one of the recesses.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority of Chinese Patent Application No. 201720983169.2, filed on Aug. 8, 2017.

FIELD

The disclosure relates to foot wearing apparel, and more particularly to an insole for a shoe.

BACKGROUND

A conventional insole, such as those disclosed in Taiwanese Patent No. M539822, No. M535005, and No. M495746, is adapted for ventilating trapped heat of a human foot inside a shoe. This type of insole includes a top surface, a bottom surface, and a plurality of vent holes, each of which extends from the top surface to the bottom surface. Another conventional insole for a shoe, such as those disclosed in Taiwanese Patent No. M542369 and No. M530549, is adapted for massaging a sole of a human foot. This type of insole includes a top surface, a bottom surface, and a plurality of protrusions protruding from the top surface and being arranged in accordance to acupressure points of sole of a human foot.

SUMMARY

Therefore, an object of the present disclosure is to provide an insole that can provide massage to a sole of human foot as well as maintaining air ventilation across the sole.

According to the disclosure, an insole includes a top surface, a bottom surface opposite to the upper surface, a plurality of protrusions protruding from the top surface, a plurality of recesses indenting inwardly from the bottom surface, and a plurality of vent holes. Each of the recesses has an inner end and an outer end that is located at the bottom surface and that is larger than the inner end. Each of the vent holes extends from the top surface to communicate with the inner end of a corresponding one of the recesses.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Other features and advantages of the present disclosure will become apparent in the following detailed description of the embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of an insole of this disclosure;

FIG. 2 is another perspective view of the embodiment;

FIG. 3 is a bottom view of the embodiment; and

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line IV-IV in FIG. 3.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring to FIGS. 1 to 4, an embodiment of an insole 10 according to the disclosure includes a top surface 11, a bottom surface 12 opposite to the top surface 11, a plurality of protrusions 13 protruding from the top surface 11, a plurality of recesses 14 indenting inwardly from the bottom surface 12, a plurality of vent holes 15 extending from the top surface 11 to communicate with the recesses 14, and a plurality of connecting grooves 16 formed in the bottom surface 12 and communicating spatially with the recesses 14. In this embodiment, the insole 10 is made from a foam material.

The protrusions 13 are arranged in accordance to acupressure points of sole of a human foot. Each of the recesses 14 is frustoconical, and has an inner end 141, and an outer end 142 that is located at the bottom surface 12 and that is larger than the inner end 141. Each of the vent holes 15 has a bottom end communicating with the inner end 141 of a corresponding one of the recesses 14, and a top opening 151 located at the top surface 11 and spaced apart from the protrusions 13. The top opening 15 of at least a portion of the vent holes 15 is adjacent to the protrusion 13. Each of the connecting grooves 16 interconnects a corresponding adjacent pair of the recesses 14.

After placing the insole 10 inside a shoe worn by a user, the protrusions 13 of the sole 10 provide massaging benefits toward sole of the user's foot, as the protrusions 13 are arranged in accordance to acupuncture points of sole of a human foot. Whenever the user walks, the recesses 14 of the insole 10 are constantly squeezed by applied force of the walking movement, which drives air movement across the vent holes 15 and the connecting grooves 16, ultimately guiding the air out of the insole 10. As the insole 10 is made ofafoammaterial, the squeezed recesses 14 may gradually be restored to its original state after the applied force is removed. During their recovery process, the recesses 14 may also pull air into the insole 10, driving air movement inside the insole 10 yet again.

As the top opening 151 of a portion of the vent holes 15 is adjacent to the protrusions 13 that protrude from the top surface 11, there exists a ventilating space between the protrusions 13 and the top surface 11 that allows air from the top opening 151 of the vent holes 15 to flow therebetween. In addition, besides providing direct massaging benefit, the protrusions 13 of the top surface 11 elevate the sole of a human foot slightly above the top surface 11 such that the sole is spaced apart from and avoids complete contact with the top surface 11. In conjunction with the vent holes 15 and the connecting grooves 16, the insole 10 is able to drive air circulation between the sole and the top surface 11, reducing the buildup of the trapped stuffy air inside the shoe.

Overall, the insole 10 is capable of massaging the sole of a human foot with the protrusions 13 of the top surface 11, as well as providing ventilation across the sole utilizing the communication of individual vent holes 15 with the recesses 14.

In the description above, for the purposes of explanation, numerous specific details have been set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments. It will be apparent, however, to one skilled in the art, that one or more other embodiments maybe practiced without some of these specific details. It should also be appreciated that reference throughout this specification to “one embodiment,” “an embodiment,” an embodiment with an indication of an ordinal number and so forth means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic may be included in the practice of the disclosure. It should be further appreciated that in the description, various features are sometimes grouped together in a single embodiment, figure, or description thereof for the purpose of streamlining the disclosure and aiding in the understanding of various inventive aspects. 

What is claimed is:
 1. An insole comprising: a top surface; a bottom surface opposite to said top surface; a plurality of protrusions protruding from said top surface; a plurality of recesses indenting inwardly from said bottom surface, each of said recesses having an inner end, and an outer end that is located at said bottom surface and that is larger than said inner end; and a plurality of vent holes, each of which extends from said top surface to communicate with said inner end of a corresponding one of said recesses.
 2. The insole as claimed in claim 1, wherein said protrusions are arranged in accordance to acupressure points of sole of a human foot.
 3. The insole as claimed in claim 1, wherein said insole further comprises a plurality of connecting grooves formed in said bottom surface and communicating spatially with said recesses.
 4. The insole as claimed in claim 3, wherein each of said connecting grooves interconnects a corresponding adjacent pair of said recesses.
 5. The insole as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of said vent holes has a top opening located at said top surface and spaced apart from said protrusions, said top opening of at least a portion of said vent holes being adjacent to said protrusions.
 6. The insole as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of said recesses is frustoconical. 